A lower leg injury suffered by emerging Portarlington youngster Joel De Bono in the Bellarine club’s practice match loss to GDFNL outfit Inverleigh at Anakie Reserve has been confirmed as a fractured fibula.
De Bono, who made seven senior appearances in 2025 after graduating from the club’s under-18 program, was assisted from the field after being tackled during the second quarter and taken to hospital in Geelong.
Speaking after the match, first-year coach Sam Scott was waiting for further news on the severity.
“It doesn’t look good; potentially an Achilles,” Scott said.
“But we’ll have to wait and see. Fingers crossed he’s all right.”
De Bono’s injury is also a blow for Portarlington Cricket Club as it chases a finals berth in the Bellarine Peninsula Association’s A2 section.
He made 81 on day one of the clash with St Leonards yesterday, with the match-up acting as a virtual elimination final.
Missing several key players, including Bellarine Team of the Year ruck Scott Greenhough, the experienced Kelly Pickard, recruits Nathan McHugh and Michael Herlihy, and returning star Brock Williamson, Portarlington fell 20 points short of the Hawks despite a final quarter burst led by Teia Miles.
“It’s just good to finally see our systems against an opposition, and the boys probably – we spoke about it in there (the rooms) – forgot to play footy a little bit, and they just listened to how we want to move the footy,” Scott.
“So, we just ended up chipping the ball around too much.
“For us, it’s about… letting people show their weapons a little bit and play the way they want to play.
“We were way too controlled with the footy today. If we can just be a little bit more direct and actually feed some of our forwards, I’m glad we’re making that mistake now and not in Round 1.”
Scott was impressed with former Geelong West star Patrick Eastman’s performance in what was his first match at any level since 2024.
“He’s going to be a star for us this year,” Scott said. “He’s just so clean with it and so balanced over the footy.
“He’s also really good with setting people up, so he’s going to be really handy for us.”
Scott said most of Portarlington’s unavailable players from today are expected to be right for the club’s next practice match – a meeting with Hampden League finalists South Warrnambool at Lorne on March 14.
Inverleigh, which is keen to return to finals this year after a two-year absence following its 2023 premiership, went into the match without the likes of big man Luke Wilson, Jarrod Love, Dalton Grundell, Casey Meehan and quality recruit Ethan Floyd.
“For us, it was just about how we played,” coach Chris Moore said.
“We did some things really well. We did some things that we really need to work on, but it’s our first hit out, and it’s five weeks to Round 1.
“So, all in all, happy.”
Thomson recruit Zach Plant showed he will be a more than handy inclusion to the Hawks’ midfield, a bulked-up Boe Collins was an imposing figure around the contest, and, after a gap year at South Colac, former playing coach Adam Donohue slipped seamlessly back into the Inverleigh line-up.
Tall forward Mason Dickson, whose 2025 season was prematurely ended by a serious arm injury, produced an eye-catching five-goal performance.
“I spoke to him before the game about just getting the cobwebs out, and I think he’s kicked probably four or five (goals),” Moore said.
“That was good for him, and the boys looked after him.
“It’s positive signs.”
Moore confirmed Meehan is likely to make a delayed start to the season due to an ongoing knee issue.
“Case has played injured for the last couple of years, so we just want to get him right; that’s most important,” Moore said.
“He’ll come on as forward line coach for the first half of the season, and we’ll see how he goes.
“We will be cautious towards him.”
The only negative for the Hawks was a report laid against Jaiden Reid for an incident during the third quarter that saw him yellow carded.
Meanwhile, fledgling Bellarine club Surf Coast has named ex-Irrewarra-Beeac duo Joss Howlett and Dylan Flanigan as co-captains at the club’s season launch last night.
The Suns were the first local club in practice match action, having the better of an undermanned Rokewood-Corindhap from the Central Highlands league.
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